The first taste of spring has come to Southeast Pennsylvania, and with it all of the excitement of getting back outside after the cold winter months. It may be a bit too early for all of the planting you’ve got planned, but there is plenty you can do in April to set yourself up for a great season—and start working on and enjoying your outdoor spaces again!

Who says you have to wait till spring to enjoy your outdoor space? In our last article, we talked about what types of trees, plants, and flowers can work during the winter months in southeastern Pennsylvania, including using pots and boxes to introduce color when planting isn’t advisable.

In this second part of our winter landscaping discussion, we’ll focus on how to maintain your outdoor spaces to keep them in top shape for the upcoming warmer weather of spring.

Winter isn’t the easiest time of year to care for your outdoor spaces, let alone enjoy them, but with some thoughtful planning you can maintain and beautify your landscaping even during southeastern Pennsylvania’s coldest months.

In this two-part article, we’ll talk first about what kinds of plants and flowers work best to bring some color and appeal to your outdoor spaces, and then about what you can do to tend to your landscaping in the winter so that spring finds you ready for its blossoms and warmth.

When it comes to homes in southeast Pennsylvania, the size of their outdoor spaces can range from very spacious to not quite as large. If you are working with a yard, garden, or other outdoor space that is on the less expansive side, there are many ways you can maximize its functionality and appeal with your landscaping.

A retaining wall is an element of hardscaping—the parts of your outdoor space that are inanimate and unchanging—that can be highly functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. A retaining wall is simply a wall that retains or holds back soil. They can be built for many different purposes, and with many different materials. We’ll explore some of them below.